Thursday, January 29, 2015

Singer-songwriter Chad Bundick, better known by the stage name Toro y Moi, will release his fourth full-length using that moniker on April 7 titled What For? and he'll hit the road on a big spring tour in support of it.

Toro y Moi will return to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Tuesday, May 12. Keath Mead will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30, via Ticketfly for $18.

Check out the song "Empty Nesters" from the new album What For? below.

Bespectabled singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb's 1995 hit "Stay (I Missed You)" seems poised to live forever, regularly beating featured in TV show and films, most recently featured in the trailer for the excessively cheesy Hot Tub Time Machine 2, though sung by actor Craig Robinson. Loeb has continued to release the new music over the years, most recently her 2013 album No Fairy Tale.

Loeb will hit the road to play some U.S. shows this spring and she'll stop at the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Tuesday, May 12. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $37 to $52.

Check out Loeb's 2014 EPK below that pretty much covers what Loeb has been up to for the last two decades in just two and a half minutes.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Singer-songwriter Mikal Cronin will release his third full-length album this spring, his second on Merge Records, appropriately titled MCIII. The album will be out on May 5 and you can check out the song "Mind Made Up" from it below.

The first 500 preordered copies of the LP from Merge Records will be pressed on clear vinyl and a limited number of clear vinyl copies will be available at indie records stores on the release date.

Cronin has announced a few North American dates so far but not Triangle date is on the books yet. We'll let you know once he announces his return to the area.

English rockers the Kaiser Chiefs are working on their sixth studio album that is due out sometime this year and they are coming to this side of the Atlantic in the spring on a North American tour with support from Priory.

The bands will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, May 9. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30, via Ticketfly for $22.

Kaiser Chiefs just released a new single titled "Falling Awake." Check out the song below.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

On their first full-length LP, Viet Cong effectively fuses modern post-punk with new and
inventive sounds. Utilizing airy guitars and synthesizers, instruments that normally have no place in this type of music, Viet Cong has created a unique, standout album in a genre where it is easy to get lost.

The album
opens with the distortion heavy and muffled “Newspaper Spoons.” Primitive
drumming is accompanied by seven lines of repeating lyrics and a squealing
guitar. Suddenly, all quiets and a spacey synth seamlessly becomes the focal
point of the track.

British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler will release his eighth solo album on March 17 titled Tracker and he has just announced a big North American tour in the fall that will bring him to the Triangle.

Knopfler and his band will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 22. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30 via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $81.50 to $131.50. Pre-sales will start as early as Wednesday, January 28.

Natalie Prassruns the gamut of 70s AM radio throwback sounds. “Bird of Prey” fizzes with a tense jazz led by trumpets and flutes. “Why Don’t You Believe in Me” draws from soul and funk and mixes it with the blues.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Acclaimed indie singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens will return this spring with his first new full-length studio album in almost five years titled Carrie & Lowell. It will be out on March 31 and he'll hit the road on a big North American tour a few weeks later.

Stevens will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 7. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $40.

Carrie & Lowell is said to be Stevens' return to his folk roots. The music featured in the trailer for the album certainly backs that up that claim. Check out the trailer below.

Following in the footsteps of Wayne Coyne and Lucinda Williams (whose event is tonight, January 26), the third presentation of the Film: Acoustic series at the Carolina Theatre in Durham will feature singer-songwriter Neko Case.

The screening will be on Monday, February 23, and feature the 1984 film Repo Man. The discussion about the film will not only include Case, but also executive producer of the film Michael Nesmith.

Tickets are on sale now via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $15. Check out the trailer for Repo Man below.

Even though last year was the official 40th anniversary of when drummer Neil Pert joined Rush in 1974, the band chose to wait until 2015 to celebrate the milestone with a big North American tour. They will be playing music from their entire 40-year catalog and have also stated that this could be their last big tour.

The band will play the Greensboro Coliseum on Tuesday, May 28. The on sale date is has yet to be announced but tickets will be $46 to $126. The entire tour is expected to go on sale on Friday, January 30.

Check out a video of Rush performing "Tom Sawyer" in Cleveland in 2011 below.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

When rockers Mötley Crüe announced last year's "The Final Tour" and made a big deal about dissolving the band once the tour ended in November, it seemed like they might actually be done. But the band has now announced another "final" leg of The Final Tour for this summer and fall, bringing Alice Cooper back along for the ride.

The pair will stop at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Friday, August 28. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $20 to $99.50. The fan club pre-sales have already started.

Check out the music video for a new Mötley Crüe song titled "All Bad Things" below.

After releasing their first two albums for Merge Records in back to back years with All Eternals Deck in 2011 and Transcendental Youth in 2012, The Mountain Goats are ready to return with their third album on Merge this spring.

Darnielle and the gang will release Beat the Champ on April 7. Check out the killer cover art to the right and listen to the fantastic song "The Legend of Chavo Guerrero" from the album below.

In addition to announcing the album the band has also announce a spring tour in support of it. They'll return to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro the day the album comes out, Tuesday, April 7. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Ticketfly for $20.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Comedian and musician "Weird Al" Yankovic had one of his best years in quite a while last year with the release of his 14th studio album Mandatory Fun which parodied popular songs such as "Happy," "Royals," Fancy," and "Blurred Lines" among others. It was the first comedy album to hit the number one spot on the Billboard albums chart since 1963.

Now Yankovic will take his return to stardom on the road in 2015 with a massive world tour. He will make a stop at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on Thursday, June 18. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 30, via the venue box office and Etix for $35 to $45.

Check out the music video for the song "Word Crimes," a parody of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," below.

Sleater-Kinney’s No Cities To Love is a force of nature. It’s 32 minutes of pure empowerment capable of making its listeners plow through every obstacle in their way.

Despite the 10 years that have passed since their last album, the 8th album from the indie rock legends isn’t a nostalgia trip or some radical experiment. These 10 songs feel like a natural extension of the Sleater-Kinney discography coming when it is needed the most.

No Cities To Love repeatedly mentions being held back or restrained — on “Price Tag” the narrator squeezes into her clothes and on “Surface Envy” she talks about guilt weighing her down — and then breaking free. These escapes are powered by self-worth, self-belief and self-efficacy.

New York indie rockers Interpol released their fifth full-length album in the fall titled El Pintor and the band has just announced a slew of new tour dates this spring and summer that will take the band across North America.

The band will play The Ritz in Raleigh (assuming the repeatedly delayed renovations are done by then) on Friday, May 8. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Ticketmaster for $28.

Check out Interpol performing the song "All the Rage Back Home" from El Pintor on the Late Show with David Letterman below.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Indie rock darling Jenny Lewis will hit the road this spring in support of her latest album The Voyager, produced by Ryan Adams. She'll stop in the Triangle for a headline show in the midst of some dates opening for Adams, though he'll be skipping his old stomping ground as usual.

Lewis and her band will play the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Monday, May 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Ticketfly for $25.

Check out the Lewis performing the song "She's Not Me" from The Voyager on KCRW last fall below.

Husband and wife indie pop duo Mates of State haven't released a new album since 2011's Mountaintops but they have been working on a new album that will be their eighth full-length. They are hitting the road this spring and they'll make their way to the Triangle in April.

The band will play The Pinhook in Durham on Saturday, April 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Ticketfly for $12.

Mates of State released a live cover of "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus late last year. Check out the video below.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Just in time for Halloween this year the North Carolina Symphony will head to Durham for a special performance where they will present the music of famed composer Danny Elfman The symphony will specifically be playing Elfman's music from the Tim Burton films that he has scored including Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland.

The performance will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, October 20. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster. The Friends of DPAC pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, January 21, for $45 to $85.

Check out a video below of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performing a medley of songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Legendary singer-songwriter Sir Elton John has just announced a few early 2015 tour dates during a break from his regular gig at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and he'll make a stop in North Carolina.

The tour will bring John to the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville on Wednesday, March 11. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Ticketmaster for $36 to $136.

Check out a performance of "The Bitch is Back" from John's Vegas show The Million Dollar Piano below.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Pop rockers Fall Out Boy, who have a new album out on January 20, titled American Beauty/American Psycho, will team up with rapper Wiz Khalifa this summer on a big co-headline tour dubbed the Boys of Zummer. Hoodie Allen will open the entire tour.

The tour will stop at the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh on Saturday, July 18. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 23, via Live Nation and Ticketmaster for $27 to $69.75.

Check out the music video for the title track from Fall Out Boy's new album American Beauty/American Psycho below.

British rockers The Kooks released their fourth studio album in the fall titled Listen and the band will cross the Atlantic this spring for a North American tour. They'll play a trio of shows in Mexico before heading north for a short series of U.S. dates.

Instead of playing the Triangle or even Charlotte, the lads will head east to Wilmington to play Ziggy's By the Sea on Thursday, May 7. Joywave and Young Rising Sons will open. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, January 16, via Etix for $20.

Check out the music video for the song "Bad Habit" from the album Listen below.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Maryland pop punks All Time Low will release their sixth full length album on April 7 titled Future Hearts and this spring they'll hit the road on a big U.S. tour in support of it.

The fourth stop on the tour will be at The Ritz in Raleigh on Saturday, April 18. Issues, Tonight Aliv, and State Champs will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 16, via Ticketmaster for $25.

Check out the music video for the new single "Something's Gotta Give" from All Time Low's the album Future Hearts below.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Veteran jam poppers the Dave Matthews Band has just announced a summer tour that will keep the band crisscrossing the country playing amphitheaters from May until September. Each night of the tour the band will be playing two full sets.

They'll return to Walnut Creek Amphitheatre on Friday, May 22. Tickets will on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 13. The band's fan club will have access tickets starting on Thursday, January 15.

Check out a video of the band's full set from Santiago Chile in December 2013 below.

North Carolina born and raised country star Eric Church had one of the top selling albums of 2014 with his fourth studio album The Outsiders and he has now extended his world tour in support of the album into the spring.

Church will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, April 23. Ticket information is not available yet but we'll update this post once it is.

Check out the music video for the song "Talladega" from The Outsiders below.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Merge Records announced last month that singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, better known as Waxahatchee, had joined the label's ever-expanding roster. Now her first release for Merge has a title and a release date.

The new album is titled Ivy Tripp and it will be available on April 7. Check out the song "Air" from Ivy Tripp below.

Waxahatchee will hit the road on North American tour in support of the album in the spring. They'll play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Saturday, April 11. The Goodbye Party will open. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $13.

Friday, January 09, 2015

Last month WKNC announced that Spider Bags and Eternal Summers will headline the two shows comprising this year's Double Barrel Benefit in Raleigh and Carrboro. Now the rest of the lineups have been released.

Joining Spider Bags at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh on Saturday, February 7, will be No Love, Mac McCaughan and Lonnie Walker. Joining Eternal Summer at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, February 14, will be Body Games, Museum Mouth and Elvis Despressedly.

Two-show passes are on sale now via Etix for $22. Tickets for just the Raleigh show are on sale now via Etix for $12. Tickets for just the Carrboro show are on sale now via Ticketfly for $12.

Thursday, January 08, 2015

While in San Francisco recently M.C. Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, stopped at a friend's apartment to film a solo performance of the title track from his album Lateness of Dancers for the music site Yours Truly. Check out that performance below.

Hiss Golden Messenger will release a new three-song EP titled Southern Grammar on February 3 via Merge Records. It will feature the songs "Brother, Do You Know the Road," "He Wrote the Book," and a live version of "Southern Grammar" that showcases the Hiss Golden Messenger touring band.

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Country singer-songwriter Vince Gill will be on the road throughout 2015 and he has just added a new show in the Triangle.

The veteran performer will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 9. Tickets will go sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 9, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $40 to $75. The Friends of DPAC pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 7.

Gill's latest album is 2013's Bakersfield recorded with steel guitarist Paul Franklin. Check out Gill and Franklin performing the song "Together Again" from the album at the Grand Ole Opry in 2013 below.

Pop rockers Guster will release their first studio album since 2010 on January 13 titled Evermotion and they have just extended the tour in support of it into the spring with a stop in the Triangle.

The band will play the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh on Wednesday, April 22. Kishi Bashi will open with a solo set. A pre-sale will begin at noon today, January 6, via Etix using the password evermotion (the band's website says that pre-sale tickets will be $5 off). The general on sale will begin at noon on Friday, January 9, via Etix where tickets will be $26.

Check out the music video for the "Long Night" from the album Evermotion below.

Monday, January 05, 2015

Philadelphia indie pop band Vacationer released their acclaimed sophomore album Relief last summer and the band will hit the road on a short east coast tour later this month in support of it that includes a stop in the Triangle.

Vacationer will play Kings Barcade in Raleigh on Sunday, January 25. Tickets are on sale now via Etix for $12.

Check out Vacationer performing the song "Shining" from the album Relief during a session for Audiotree Live below.